What figurative language is used in caged bird? Some of the dominant figures of speech in Maya Angelou’s Caged Bird include
metaphor, personification, alliteration, and repetition
.
What is the figurative language in Caged Bird?
The first metaphor is of the free bird that is for the white Americans or free people, while the caged bird is the
metaphor of African Americans and their captivity in the social norms
.
Is Caged Bird a metaphor?
The Caged Bird Metaphor is
a common Animal Metaphor
whereby a character—often a woman or girl in an oppressive environment—is associated with a caged bird, symbolizing their sense of confinement and longing for freedom.
What literary devices are used in caged bird?
- Metaphor: The poet uses metaphor (an indirect comparison) when she compares wind to water. …
- Alliteration: …
- End Rhyme and Internal Rhyme: …
- Imagery: …
- Personification: …
- Repetition:
What is the best example of personification in Caged Bird?
Angelou personifies the sunset, laughter and Fate as she recounts tales of her family and childhood.
What does the bird symbolize in caged bird?
The bird represents
freedom or desire to be free
, while the cage symbolizes confinement or oppression. Even the act of singing shines a spotlight on the author’s ability to grow and flourish despite her challenges. Of course, there are many other symbols in this story, which is what brings us to this lesson.
What is irony in caged bird?
When things don’t work out the way you expect
, it is called irony. In Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the author uses verbal, situational, and dramatic irony to describe her childhood experiences with racism and abuse.
How is the caged bird an extended metaphor?
Given that the caged bird in the poem is an extended metaphor for
the historic struggle of the Black community under historical and ongoing racist oppression
, the idea that freedom is a biological impulse argues against the inhumane cruelty of oppression.
How is freedom ironic in Caged Bird?
This sentence is ironic as
the caged bird is the one singing not the free bird as we expect
. However, the words ‘fearful’ and ‘trill’ makes us realize that actually it is not a happy tune but a desperate cry for freedom. This relief enables us to reach to more depth and appreciate freedom.
What does the caged bird symbolize in Sympathy?
The speaker of the poem begins by telling us that he “knows how caged bird feels,” and then spends the resting of the poem describing how terrible its life is. Dunbar’s not talking about a real bird, though. Nope—instead the caged bird becomes a metaphor for
the speaker’s own lack of freedom, his own oppression
.
What are the figure of speech used in the poem I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?
Some of the dominant figures of speech in Maya Angelou’s Caged Bird include
metaphor, personification, alliteration, and repetition
.
What is the theme of the poem caged bird?
Caged Bird’ is filled with powerful themes. These include
racial oppression, freedom/captivity, and happiness/sorrow
. These themes are all wrapped together in ‘Caged Bird’ through Angelou’s depiction of the two birds, one free and one caged.
What does the Free bird symbolize?
She has indicated the free bird as
people who do not face discrimination or the Whites
and the caged bird as people who face discrimination or the Blacks. With the use of these metaphors, Angelou represented the inequality and injustice in society during her times.
What is a metaphor in the poem Sympathy?
Analysis: Dunbar uses a metaphor comparing
a caged bird beating its wings against its cage until they bleed to his own struggle against oppression
. The bird’s physical scars metaphorically refer to the mental scars of oppression.
Who does the free and Caged Bird represent?
In the poem “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”,
the free bird referred to is the White American community while the ‘caged bird’ refers to the African Americans
. Through the portrayal of the free bird in the poem Angelou essentially indicates to the privileges that the White Americans enjoyed.
Why does the caged bird beat his wings?
It really, really wants to leave that cage, so much so that it keeps hurting itself (eesh). Each time the bird beats its wings against the bars, its old scars “pulse,” or throb again. This
suggests the idea of recurring pain
. The bird suffers over and over again; its pain isn’t limited.
What is the main conflict in the poem caged bird?
The main conflict is that
the caged bird wants the life of the free bird
. The caged bird also wants the freedom to do whatever he wants.
What does the fat worms signify?
Answer: ‘Fat worms’ signifies
all the opportunities that a free bird has
. It can find its food at every door represented by ‘dawn bright lawn’ which is an intensive imagery showing all the endless possibilities of a free bird.
What metaphor does both Sympathy and Caged Bird display?
In “Sympathy”, the bird beats his wing to escape but then begins imploring or sings a prayer to the help of a higher power for freedom such as “Caged Bird”, which both have
a metaphor that’s mutual
.
What are two examples of a metaphor?
- “Bill is an early bird.”
- “Life is a highway.”
- “Her eyes were diamonds.”
What is the simile in the poem Sympathy?
“
and the river flows like a stream of glass
” it’s a simile, he is describing the river like the glass, he is showing the beauty of the flowing river and how its calm like the glass.
Why did Maya Angelou use figurative language?
In Graduation, an essay written by Maya Angelou, the use of figurative language
aids the reader to better understand the writing
. Specifically, the use of hyperboles bring life to the piece, while imagery brings attention, sight, and detail to the piece.
What figurative language means?
Figurative language makes meaning by
asking the reader or listener to understand something by virtue of its relation to some other thing, action, or image
. Figurative language can be contrasted with literal language, which describes something explicitly rather than by reference to something else.
Is bars of rage a metaphor?
The “bars of rage” are
a metaphor
for the feelings of people who are bound by slavery, ignorance, and prejudice.
What is literary devices in a story?
A literary device is
a writing technique that writers use to express ideas, convey meaning, and highlight important themes in a piece of text
. A metaphor, for instance, is a famous example of a literary device. These devices serve a wide range of purposes in literature.
